John W. Harrelson

John William Harrelson (June 28, 1885 – March 12, 1955) was the sixth chief executive of North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University) from 1934 to 1953. An artillery officer in the U. S. Army Reserve, he was the first N. C. State alumnus to lead the institution and the first leader of the university to hold the title of Chancellor.

Harrelson was born in Double Shoals, North Carolina, though his postal address was listed as Lawndale, North Carolina. The son of Cleveland County farmer J. H. Harrelson, He joined the college's Corps of Cadets in his sophomore year as a cadet corporal, and was promoted cadet first sergeant the following year. In July 1908, he enlisted in Company G of the 1st North Carolina Infantry, N. C. Army National Guard, serving a single term of enlistment. He was appointed captain of his cadet company in the fall of 1908, and was commended for his drilling abilities at a competition held on 16 October. Apart from his army training, Harrelson also served as historian of his sophomore class, as vice president of his junior class, and as a commencement marshal in his senior year. He was also awarded honors in his sophomore and senior years. Harrelson graduated from the university in 1909 with a B. A. in engineering. After completing his bachelor's degree, Harrelson returned to N. C. State as an instructor of mathematics in the fall of 1909, teaching arithmetic, algebra, and plane and solid geometry, In the same year, he completed an M. S. in mechanical engineering from N. C. State and was promoted to assistant professor of mathematics. In August 1916, Harrelson was promoted to captain in the National Guard and was assigned command of the 1st Company, Coast Artillery, then stationed in Raleigh. He was given command of a training company at Fort Caswell, which included about 30 N. C. State alumni. In early 1918, he was posted on training courses in heavy artillery and anti aircraft training at the Heavy Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia. He resumed his command of the 7th Company at Fort Caswell on July 3, and until August 1918 also served as commander of the 1st Group Command, and as chief gunnery officer and commanding officer in charge of the post officers' school at Fort Caswell. He was promoted to major in the National Army on August 9, 1918, and was subsequently assigned to a post in Washington on the general staff in the office of Peyton C. March, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. In this role, he took command of the personnel branch and wrote discharges for officers, including for himself. Apart from teaching, Harrelson also served as a freshman football coach and as the graduate manager of athletics in 1921. Harrelson retired from office in 1953 and became the college archivist. He left a $100,000 endowment to NC State for art purchases and a lecture series. In 1954, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering. On the evening of Saturday, 12 March 1955, Harrelson was scheduled to give the main address, "Recollections of D. H. Hill," at the dedication of the new D. H. Hill Library building. Shortly after 8 p. m., he rose from his seat and stepped up to a microphone and podium in front of the circulation desk. Harrelson then began speaking, but before he could finish his first sentence, he suddenly collapsed to the floor, knocking over the microphone as he fell. He was rushed to Rex Hospital and placed under an oxygen tent, but was pronounced dead from a cerebral haemorrhage at 10:10 p. m.

In 2003, Harrelson was posthumously inducted into the Theta Tau Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1961, Harrelson Hall, a classroom building on the university's Main Campus housing mathematics and languages courses, was named after Harrelson. Notable for its unique cylindrical design, the building remained in use until 2015, shortly before its deconstruction in 2016. NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center currently houses John William Harrelson's manuscript papers and university archives.